We’re expecting our studio construction to hit another important milestone this month, with the interior spaces completed and ready for equipment!

With about $350,000 still to raise out of our original $1 million funding goal, the next steps of our studio campaign concern the new studios’ broadcast equipment and the funds needed to pay for them. You can donate and learn more here, and stay tuned for updates in future issues of the Static.

As the calendar turns over into 2014, the sounds of carpentry continue to echo throughout KNOM’s existing offices. The latest annex renovations, as you see here, include the finished siding on the outside of the new studios; its weather-sealed windows; and its in-progress vent and heating system.

Work on our new studios will soon turn to their broadcast hardware and other technological needs, and in this regard, you may be interested to know where our construction-specific finances stand.

To date, we’ve raised a total of $522,819 for our digital studios. We estimate the complete studio renovation work, from start to finish, will cost $1 million. The project, and its budget, fall into five phases.

Phase 1, our new studios’ architectural and design plans, cost $48,928 to complete. Phase 2, the studio annex building’s construction, is currently underway; all of its expenses ($424,635) have either already been paid or are secured through funds we’ve received. After subtracting these expenditures from our current digital studios fund, we have $49,256 left to apply to the next phase of our renovations.

Overall, we have $477,181 left to raise to bring our studio funds to $1 million and to make our renovations a reality; it’s a project we believe will be crucial for KNOM’s future sustainability. A $50,000 matching grant from the Rasmuson Foundation – just announced in November and detailed in our last Static – will help to push our project forward. To join us and to learn more, visit our digital studios page.

This article is part of the January 2014 edition of our newsletter,The Nome Static.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/01/03/a-new-years-studio-update/feed/0An exciting milestone!http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/01/31/an-exciting-milestone/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/01/31/an-exciting-milestone/#commentsThu, 31 Jan 2013 20:30:40 +0000http://www.knom.org/mission/wp/?p=769It’s both exciting and humbling to report the continued progress of our campaign for the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. We’ve just passed a crucial landmark; with donations now approaching $500,000, we have enough funds to build Phase 1 of the project, the outside frame of our studio annex.

The digital studios project will expand our studio space (into the lot pictured) and renovate it: replacing our aging, analog equipment with digital hardware that will be more cost-efficient to maintain.

As we go to press, we’re still eagerly awaiting the beginning of Phase 1 construction, which has been delayed, in part, because of the complications of wintertime weather in rural Alaska (as pictured) and the limited construction workforce in our region.

Also, we continue to seek funds for Phase 2 of construction: the renovation of our existing studios and the purchase of new digital broadcast equipment.

We thank you for your continued support and ask for prayers. Together, we’re moving forward! To learn more, visit our digital studios page.

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This article is part of the February 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

As we go to press, we’re anticipating the first phases of construction to begin any day. Our contractors will use the special shipments of wood, pictured at top, to build the initial frame of our new, crucially-needed studio space. Thanks to you, the funds are there to make this first phase a reality; our digital studio funds now exceed $400,000! For the latest updates – and to help us keep our studio construction moving forward – visit this page.

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This article is part of the Year-End 2012 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

In Nome, KNOM’s news department is on the front lines for a story with worldwide interest: the Russian tanker Renda makes an unprecedented winter fuel delivery, escorted in its journey through the frozen Bering Sea by the US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy. The delivery comes in the wake of an epic, fall 2011 storm that delayed Nome’s final fuel shipment.

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February

KNOM covers the inaugural running of a sled-dog race honoring a community leader in Western Alaska. The Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450 sends dog teams from the community of Unalakleet (YOU-nuh-luh-kleet) to the finish line in Nome. In the pre-dawn hours, musher Pete Kaiser finishes first, and KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen calls the finish live.

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March

KNOM rallies to cover all angles of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (the 1,000-mile competition from Anchorage to Nome). The race is an inspiration to thousands, and in 2012, a new generation takes center stage: 25-year-old Dallas Seavey wins the race, while young musher Rohn Buser finishes alongside his father, Martin, a multiple-time Iditarod champ.

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April

Volunteer Matty Guiffré visits the community of Little Diomede (DYE-yuh-meed), located on the steep slopes of an island adjacent to the International Date Line and the Russian border. He reports: “the residents of Diomede were very welcoming, and I quickly became accustomed to what it was like to live on a cliff.” Matty collects interviews with Diomede students.

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May

We’re thrilled to report that KNOM alumna Betsy Brennan has re-joined our staff in the role of Development Data Manager. We also offer thanks to architect Frank Schmidt and contractor Randy Pomeranz for their prep work for our digital studios. Finally, we highlight recent guests to our studios: among them, respected elder Dina Sagoonick (pictured).

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June

In the Static, we report that KNOM has received its fifth Crystal Award (recognizing excellence in community service) from the National Association of Broadcasters. We also bid farewell to news volunteer Ben Matheson (pictured) and report on the installation of dynamic carrier control, a more efficient method of power management for our AM transmitter site.

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July

Our newsletter pages detail a special benefit concert in Nome dedicated to KNOM’s digital studios project. As we report, the community event was the first-ever concert to support KNOM specifically; its performers – including old-time ensemble Landbridge Tollbooth, pictured – bring in $5,385 for the planned studio annex.

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August

We say goodbye to volunteer music director Rebekah Pierce (pictured with sister Kathryn), who departs after a year of service. In the Static, we report on a major fire in the nearby community of Teller; the conflagration destroys three buildings but stops short of Teller’s Catholic church. On-location reports from news volunteer Matthew Smith lead our newscasts.

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September

It’s a season of hellos and goodbyes. We greet an entirely new group of volunteers – first among them, music director Joshua Cunningham – but also bid farewell to second-year news volunteer Matthew Smith (pictured). Meanwhile, our new system of power management at our AM transmitter site – dynamic carrier control – has already paid for itself.

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October

The Static includes warm welcomes to volunteers Dayneé Rosales and Eva DeLappe and thanks to engineers Rolland Trowbridge, John Kelsey, and Tom Bunger, each of whom has done fix-it or maintenance work at our station (and/or at our transmitter site). We also report on the first construction steps of our digital studios: the laying of its foundation pilings (pictured).

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November

We offer greetings to new volunteers Margaret DeMaioribus and Lucus Keppel, both of whom had arrived earlier in the fall. We also detail a trip taken by Lucus and news volunteer Eva DeLappe to the village of Teller; at the village school, the two attend a unique community event that confronts domestic violence, an issue that’s tragically rampant in rural Alaska.

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December

Our Christmas newsletter leads with a group photo of KNOM’s current staff and volunteers; the crew is standing on the site of our future studio annex. The Static also announces the transition of our online newsletter to our Mission Blog (this blog!).

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This article is part of the Year-End 2012 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.